Could An All-Electric Corvette Really Be In the Works?

A couple of weeks ago we got a good laugh out of Michael Brown’s All-Electric ZR1 spoof, but according to a teaser image just released by Detroit Electric, an electric Corvette-like vehicle may not be too far off from what the revived company has in store for the automotive market this year. Could an electric Corvette truly be in our near future?

While some may consider the electric vehicle a relatively new idea, it was actually fairly popular in the early 1900s, with Detroit Electric leading the pack in production and sales.

By 1912, several companies had taken on the electric vehicle platform but it was Detroit Electric that continued to stand out, selling about 13,000 electric vehicles and conjuring up a notable custom base with people like Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Mamie Eisenhower making purchases. Even Henry Ford’s wife, Clara Ford, is said to have driven a Detroit Electric vehicle at one point.

Unfortunately, Detroit Electric’s popularity wasn’t destined to be a continuous success and the last Detroit Electric car left the assembly line in 1939. But in 2008, the Detroit Electric brand was brought back by Albert Lam, the former Group CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group and Executive Director of Lotus Cars of England.

Just this week, Detroit Electric returned to Michigan, setting up its headquarters in the famous Fisher Building with a separate manufacturing facility also housed in the Motor City. Not only is Detroit Electric promising a number of all-electric performance cars in the future, they’re also bringing about 180 jobs to the area.

A far cry from a Corvette, this 1916 Detroit Electric was far beyond its time, running on a rechargeable battery and doing away with the traditional crank start.

One such car that the company has been teasing looks to have a similar stance and similar body lines as the Corvette platform, but we’ll have to wait until April 3rd when the car is officially revealed to know for sure. What we can tell you as of now, though, is that the car is set to be a limited-edition 2-seater sports car that is 100-percent electric.

On April 20th, the car will make its first show appearance at the Shanghai Motor Show, where Detroit Electric is expected to make an important announcement about a partnership with an existing global car manufacturer. With the looks of the teaser shot, we wouldn’t doubt if this partnership will be with Chevrolet. What do you think?